Water conservation measures still in effect

The Templeton Community Services District would like to remind residents that as temperatures get colder, water conservation measures are still in effect. This September, water usage was at 1.5 million gallons per day, compared to last September’s 1.75 M GPD. Current use is hovering around a 17-percent drop since 2013. Templeton is doing an impressive job conserving water; however, the goal is to remain at 20-percent or more.

As a reminder, conservation measures are as follows:

1. The watering of lawns, shrubs, or other landscaping that requires “spray” irrigation will be prohibited from the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
2. All wasting of water will be prohibited. Examples of water wasting include but are not limited to: washing streets, sidewalks, or driveways down instead of sweeping, letting hoses run open and/or without a controlling device at the end and outside watering or irrigation practices that result in water running of the property.
3. Limits on washing vehicles: Using water to wash or clean a vehicle, including but not limited to any automobile, truck, van, bus, motorcycle, boat or trailer, whether motorized or not, is prohibited, except by the use of a hand-held bucket or similar container, or a hand-held hoes equipped with a positive self-closing water shut-off nozzle or device. This does not apply to any commercial car washing facility.

Strict watering schedules are no longer in effect, but we do recommend shutting water off for one day a week. Once it starts to rain, we recommend turning sprinklers off as well as catching rainwater in rain barrels for later use.

It is crucial to maintain conservation efforts throughout the fall and winter months. Even if it does rain, it may not be enough to break the drought. California is experiencing its warmest year to date – 2014 has been more than one degree warmer than the previous record warmest year. This heat contributes to the seriousness of the most severe drought in California history by resulting in greater evaporation and thus less available water.

Additionally, the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) which is a normalized metric with a scale ranging from +6 to -6, states that any value lower than -4 is considered to correspond to extreme drought. As of July 2014, a large fraction of California is experiencing values less than -6.

California will need a high amount of rainfall to be relieved of this drought. It will take time, but by working together we can make a difference in the health, reliability, and quality of our water resources.

Any questions may be directed to the Templeton Community Services District Office at (805) 434-4900. Visit the District’s website for more information and water conservation tips at: www.templetoncsd.org.